######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release,” it was not written by Leasing News nor has the information been verified. The source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “byline.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

Orlando, Florida - Will work remotely
As a Commercial Credit Analyst/Underwriter, I have evaluated transactions from sole proprietorships to listed companies, across a broad spectrum of industries, embracing a multitude of asset types. Sound understanding of balance sheet, income statement and cash flow dynamics which impact credit decisions. Strong appreciation for credit/asset risk.rpsteiner21@aol.com
407 430-3917

Sales

San Francisco Bay Area - Able to work remotely
An experienced sales professional with 11 years total sales experience, 7 of those years which are in the equipment finance and working capital space. Experience in training, mentoring, and leading team of sales reps. Consistently a leader in origination volume, gross margin, and deal profitability. Knowledge of credit and funding processes will allow me to hit the ground running and drive revenue immediately. Available for immediate hire.jbp243@gmail.com
925-698-9327

Ascentium Capital’s Chief Executive Officer Tom Depping personally purchased the Houston Astros Baseball Team from Jim Crane. He says he is not retiring from Ascentium, adding "Executive staff really runs the company day-to-day and the Astros has been one of my favorite teams for years."

Richard Baccaro, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Ascentium Capital, says, "We have surpassed $4.0 billion in Origination Volume. Our growth initiatives continue with on-going recruitment across the U.S. as we plan to hire 150 additional sales professionals during the next 12 months.”

He adds he was an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball fan.

Evan Wilkoff, Executive Vice President of Capital Markets, commented, "We will continue with our diversified funding strategy that helps maintain our strength and stability. I am sure Tom will be around, if we need him."

He adds he is also a big baseball fan, going to every Charlotte Knights game at BB&K Park that he can with his family.

California Department of Business Oversight
Announces Requirement for Capital Leases/Loans/MCA

As originally announced. as of June 1, 2019, California will become the first state in the nation to give small business owners the same protections that Truth in Lending laws have given consumer borrowers for more than half a century.

Under the new law, the financer will have to disclose the following at the time they offer financing of less than $500,000 to a business owner:

Total amount of financing

Total cost of financing

Term length

Frequency and amount of payments

Pre-payment policies

Annualized rate in APR via True

(interim rent, first and last, balloon payments to be included in calculation via interest calculator such as TValue)

The law will cover traditional term loans, lines of credit, merchant cash advances, lease financing, factoring, and asset-based financing. While federally chartered banks are exempt due to federal pre-emption issues, the bill does cover online platforms that partner with banks and do the marketing and underwriting that lead to financing that is ultimately provided by a bank.

Access is by internet, telephone, drive through,or home visit by drone. Groceries Available for P-Uor Pharmacy P-U (no waiting in line byprivate box with code.)Open 24 Hours, Seven Days a Week.

Available for Amazon Prime Members: free checking accounts, free ATM charges, credit cards with no late charges, and return of 2% cash on credit card purchases, auto loans and leases at 2%, no money down, and real estate mortgages at 3% - no money down, no points, no additional fees. Free home listing with no real estate broker commissions, when the mortgage goes through Amazon.

Facts about Amazon Lending:

In the last 12 months, Amazon has lent more than $1 billion to small businesses.

More than 20,000 small businesses have received a loan from Amazon.

More than 50 percent of the small businesses Amazon lends to take a second loan from Amazon.

Amazon has issued loans to small businesses across the U.S., U.K., and Japan.

Invited small businesses are able to apply for loans ranging from $1,000 to $750,000.

In 1999, Mr. Marks became the first lawyer certified as a Certified Lease Professional. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. (Note: the designation changed in 2015 from CLPto CLFP.)

"One of the things that makes for a good lawyer is a healthy dose of insecurity, even paranoia. Many of us are constantly wondering what someone else might know that we don't, and should.

"I suppose that it was that concern that led me to becoming a CLFP. For years I was afraid that, while I advised lessors, lessees and lenders on leasing issues, I really did not KNOW leasing. There seemed to be an arcane other world of implicit rates, running rates, residual assumptions, money-over-money-dollar-out-first-amendment-middle-market-mumbo-jumbo jargon that left me nodding and guessing.

"Justice Brandeis said that "a lawyer who has not studied sociology is a public menace;" a leasing lawyer who does not understand the economics and business of leasing is no less so.

"With that in mind, I took a stab at the CLFP program. I wanted to fill in the spaces that existed in my understanding of leasing, to give me both new insights into how leasing works (and why the law of leasing is what it is) and a new appreciation for my clients and the challenges they face. Now, not only can I communicate better, I can better craft legal solutions to real-world situations and avoid the fatal, deal-threatening gap between what I do and what my clients need.

"I am honored to be a member of the fraternity/sorority of Certified Leasing and Finance Professionals and I recommend it to all who are eligible, lawyers included."

Barry Marks, Esq., CLFP, was the original attorney for National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers and a very forward thinking, bright attorney and practical businessman. He helped the organization grow and recommended Joe Bonanno, CFLP, to take his position when he retired to become an ex-officio board member. Barry was winner of the Bill Granieri award for leasing education.

Always available to answer leasing and finance questions at no charge and to brainstorm problems and solutions, he is a published author and co-author of books on leasing. He also produces a well-read monthly newsletter (available through www.leaselawyer.com). He is also known for his three poetry books and many published poems and stories. Barry was named Alabama Poet of the Year in 1999 and was a runner up for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award for books published by small presses.

He has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Equipment Lease Financing, written for various industry news publications, including Leasing News, and authored "Power Tools for Successful Leasing" and chapters in two major legal treatises. He is past counsel to the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers and active in other leasing associations. Mr. Marks counsels clients nationwide regarding leasing, lending, tax and other business matters and is admitted to practice in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

BAMFi Processes $1 Billion in Transactions
for Clients Across North America

BAMFi reaches a threshold in its rapid growth, funding over $1 billion in transactions via its proprietary software, providing business leaders with the capital and technology they need to compete.

BAMFi, a leader in the financial technology space, announced today that the company has funded more than $1 billion in transactions for small businesses across the U.S. Backed by Wells Fargo, who recently increased the company’s senior credit line to $90M, BAMFi continues to push the small business FinTech frontier.

BAMFi’s FinTech and cash flow platform provides customers with access to technology and capital to streamline back-office operations and scale faster. BAMFi processes thousands of transactions per day through its proprietary software, giving clients the tools needed to compete with the larger companies in transportation, oil and gas, construction, and staffing.

By applying world-class financial technology to the traditional funds transfer and advanced payment process, BAMFi clients see improved days to pay which frees up working capital to re-invest in growth for themselves. This improved financial and credit base enables small businesses to build stronger vendor relationships while increasing cash flow.

Todd Ehrlich, BAMFi CEO and founder, said, “BAMFi’s software has provided our clients with an exponential increase in overall business financial performance by enabling them to outsource the majority of their back office needs.

“As we move forward we will continue to focus on keeping small businesses more competitive by lifting the financial management and working capital burden with technology.”

BAMFi’s mission is to remove barriers to entry and enable growth for small and midsize businesses. Its propriety FinTech and transportation management software have been key to spearheading change in the typically less sophisticated markets where BAMFi enables small business growth.

Edgar
Ped ID #14180323
Male
1 1/2 years old
65 lbs.
White-with Black
Neutered
House-Trained
Shots Up to Date
Good with Kids
Good with Dogs

"This handsome boy is Edgar R, a 65 pound, 1 ½ year old mix of Pointer and Great Pyrenees. He is a real doll baby who is loved by his present family, but they feel he isn’t getting enough attention and is perhaps spending too much time in his crate. He needs a family that is home more and has the time to play with him to his heart’s desire. He is very playful and energetic; but he thinks he’s a lapdog, too! Edgar is electric fence trained, crate trained, house broken, microchipped, great with other dogs and wonderful with kids! (We don’t know about cats.). He walks well on a leash but is not at all fond of riding in the car. This boy has a wonderful personality, but he needs more playtime. Gorgeous, loving, and playful! What more could you want in a family pet? (posted 3/21/19)"

We are not a shelter, our dogs are in a network of foster homes. We have transports of adopted dogs to Hagerstown, MD area and as far north as Newtown , PA (and points along the way) at least every 3 weeks.

If you are uncomfortable adopting a dog without a prior face-to-face meeting and you are in the PA/NJ area, we have adoption events several times per year at local pet stores in Newtown, PA or Lawrenceville, NJ for which we bring up 15-20 adoptable dogs. Watch our website for upcoming events.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

1621 - The first Colonial treaty with the Native Americans was a defensive alliance made on Strawberry Hill, Plymouth, MA, between Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, and the Plymouth colonists, acting in behalf of King James I. They promised not to “doe hurt” to one another. If a Wampanoag broke the law, he was sent to Plymouth for punishment; if a colonist was the offender, he was sent to the Wampanaogs. The agreement in all its parts was kept by both parties for more than half a century.
1634 - The first bridge built in the US spanned the Neponset River between Milton and Dorchester, MA. The authority to build the bridge and an adjoining mill was issued to Israel Stoughton by the Massachusetts General Court.
1786 - A heavy snowstorm hit, bringing 12 inches from New Jersey to New Hampshire and prolonging winter into spring. This strong storm caused gale force winds and high tides. Five piers of the Charles Bridge were destroyed at Boston, Massachusetts.
1789 - In New York City, the House held its first quorum and elected Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania to be the first Speaker.
1807 - The famous "1807 spring storm" buried interior New England in snow and caused a great tide along the coast. Danville, Vermont received 30 inches of new snow, bringing their snow cover amount to 60 inches.
1826 - Captain Samuel Morey of Orford, NH, received a patent on an internal-combustion engine, called “a gas or vapor engine” by its inventor. His engine had two cylinders, 180 degree cranks, poppet valves, a carburetor, an electric spark, and a water cooling device. He employed the vapor of spirits of turpentine and common air. A small tin dish contained the spirits, and the only heat he used was from a common table lamp. A rotary movement was obtained by means of a crank and flywheel, as in a steam engine.1833 – The Convention of 1833 began in San Felipe de Austin. This was a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government.
1841 - Brook Farm, history's most famous utopian community, is founded near West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Its primary appeal was to young Bostonians who shrink from the materialism of American life. The community was a refuge for dozens of transcendentalists, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne.
1844 - Stuart Perry of New York City received a patent for both air-and water-cooled types and used turpentine gases as fuel. He called it a “gas engine.
1847 - Michigan becomes first state to abolish the death penalty.
1853 - Prior to this date, the fire department of cities was composed of volunteers exclusively. The first department to be paid a salary happened in Cincinnati, Ohio, through the efforts of Miles Greenwood. Members of the company received $60 a year, lieutenants $100, captains $150, pipe men and drivers, $365. The chief engineer received $1,000 a year and assistant engineers $300.
1865 - After withdrawing to Five Forks, VA, Confederate troops under George Pickett were defeated and cut off by Union troops. This defeat, according to many military historians, sealed the immediate fate of Robert E. Lee's armies at Petersburg and Richmond. Some 5000 Confederates prisoners were taken. On Apr 2, Lee informed Confederate President Jefferson Davis that he would have to evacuate Richmond. Davis and his cabinet fled by train to Danville, VA.
1866 - Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of Civil Rights Bill that gave equal rights to all men born in the US — except Indians.
1877 - Birthday of Dr. Aurelia Henry Reinhardt (d. 1948), San Francisco. First woman elected moderator (the titular head), Unitarian Association (1940), President Mills College (1916) in Oakland, CA, the third oldest women's college in the U.S.http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/reinhardt.html
1883 - Birthday of early movie great Lon Chaney, born Leonidas Frank Chaney (d. 1930) in Colorado Springs, CO. Known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces,” Chaney is known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) and “The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
1887 - Thomas Edison devises a telephone design that becomes the basis for his later claim to the invention of the microphone.
1889 - The first investment trust was the New York Stock Trust, New York City, a general portfolio statutory trust, with 50,000 shares at $10 each.
1891 – The Wrigley Company was established in Chicago.
1895 - Vocalist Alberta Hunter (d. 1984) was born in Memphis, Tennessee. One of the great ladies of the golden age of jazz, singer and composer, she gave up a very successful career to become a nurse. She practiced for 20 years and then made a show business comeback at age 82, packing them into New York nightclubs.http://www.oafb.net/once25.htmlhttp://www.redhotjazz.com/hunter.htmlhttp://afgen.com/hunter.html
1897 - Vocalist Lucille Bogan (d. 1948) was born Lucille Anderson in Amory, MS. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson. Music critic Ernest Borneman stated that Bogan was one of "the big three of the blues', along with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.http://www.alamhof.org/boganl.htm
1901 – Whittaker Chambers (d. 1961) was born Jay Vivian Chambers in Philadelphia. After his early years as a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he renounced communism, became an outspoken opponent, and testified at Alger Hiss' perjury and espionage trial.
1903 - Jackie Martin birthday. Photojournalist, first official photographer of the U.S. Women's Army Corps (Auxiliary), first woman to be elected to the White House Photographers Association (1941), first woman art and photographic editor, and first woman sports editor, in addition to a distinguished newspaper career.
1910 - Harry Carney (d. 1974) birthday, Boston. American jazz musician whose virtuosity on the baritone saxophone influenced generations. He also performed on clarinet and bass clarinet, as well as alto saxophone in the early years of his career. Mainly known for his 45-year tenure in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, Carney's strong, steady saxophone often served as the anchor of Duke's music.http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/8586/carney.html
1922 – Jazz pianist Duke Jordan (d. 2006) birthday, Brooklyn, NYhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/38031/qid=1017518470/
002-0163546-1162443
1922 – Author William Manchester (d. 2004) was born in Attleboro, MA. His best-selling book, “The Death of a President” (1967), is a detailed account of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who had been the subject of an earlier book by Manchester. In 1963, Manchester was commissioned by the Kennedy family to write the book. Manchester, who retraced the movements of President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald before the assassination, concluded, based on his study of Oswald's psychology and their similar training as Marine sharpshooters that Oswald had acted alone.
1923 - Residents in the eastern U.S. awoke on "April Fool's Day" to bitterly cold temperatures. The mercury plunged to -34 degrees at Bergland, MI and to 16 degrees in Georgia.
1924 - The first gramophone to change records automatically goes on sale in the US.
1932 - 500 school children, most with haggard faces & in tattered clothes, parade through Chicago's downtown section to the Board of Education offices to demand that the school system provide them with food.
1932 – Actress, singer Debbie Reynolds was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, TX.
1935 - General Electric Co. announces the first radio tube made of metal. Metal tubes were smaller and lighter than the glass vacuum tubes used in earlier radios and they improved short-wave radio reception. Radio had started to catch on as an entertainment medium in the 1920s, and its popularity grew until the rise of television in the early 1940s.
1936 - Vivian (Vickie) Adelberg Rudow birthday. American composer, first woman to win first prize with straight 10s in the 14th International Electoacoustic Music Competition, Bourges, France, the largest and most important electronic music competition in the world. Her composition was “With Love,” live cello, dialogue, and prepared tape. In 1977, her Kaddish won first prize in the International Double Reed Society Composition contest, solo division. She was the first Maryland composer to have her orchestral piece, “Force III,” performed in the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore (1982). Founder and artistic director/producer of Res Musica Baltimore, Inc. (now Res Music America, Inc.) (1980-1991), promoting music by American living composers. Produced 52 concerts and 22 Res Musica youth concerts for the Baltimore City Public Schools.http://www.leonarda.com/compr.htmlhttp://www.baltimorecomposersforum.org/members/rudow_vivian_adelberg/personal_info.htmlhttp://music.dartmouth.edu/~wowem/homework/rudow.html
1939 – Phil Niekro was born in Blaine, OH. "Knucksie" made his major league debut in 1964 with the Milwaukee Braves and won 318 games over a 24-year career. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
1940 - New York governor Herbert Lehman signed a bill legalizing pari-mutuel wagering at the state’s racetracks and outlawing bookmaking.
1942 - Cootie Williams Band records monk’s “Epistrophy,” Chicago, IL.
1942 - Birthday of Samuel Delany, NYC. Science fiction writer, composer, musician. African American husband (1961-1980) of poet Marilyn Hacker. http://www.uic.edu/depts/quic/history/samuel_delaney.htmlhttp://www2.pcc.com/staff/jay/delany/http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/delany/
1945 - The Battle of Okinawa began on Easter Sunday: the US 10th Army began Operation Iceberg, the invasion of the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. Ground troops numbering 180,000 plus 368,000 men in support services made a total of 548,000 troops involved--the biggest amphibious operation of the Pacific war.
1949 - The first television variety show series with an African-American cast was “Happy Pappy,” on WENR-TV, Chicago, IL. The program featured Ray Grant as master of ceremonies, the Four Vagabonds, and Modern Modes, and guests.
1953 - The first educational television station sponsored by a city was WQED, Channel 13, Pittsburgh, PA, and went on the air today. A second education channel, WQEX, Channel 16, was granted a license on July 16, 1958, making Pittsburgh the first city with two educational television stations.
1954 - U.S. Air Force Academy was founded in Colorado. President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing the establishment of an Air Force Academy, similar to West Point and Annapolis. On July 11, 1955, the first class was sworn in at Lowry Air Force Base. The academy moved to a permanent site near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1958.
1955 - Top Hits
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett” - Bill Hayes
“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” - Perez Prado
“Dance with Me Henry” (“Wallflower”) - Georgia Gibbs
“In the Jailhouse Now” - Webb Pierce
1955 - Elvis Presley's fourth single, a cover of Arthur Gunter's "Baby, Let's Play House." backed with "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone," is released. Later in the month, Presley with Bill Black and Scotty Moore head off to New York to audition for "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts," as has Pat Boone. Presley is rejected and Boone will win first place
1955 - George Martin became head of A&R for Parlophone, which will lead to his producing the Beatles seven years later when they are signed to the label.
1956 - Chet Huntley began his successful news career with NBC. He started as a reporter and analyst of the Sunday news series, "Outlook." Soon, he would be teamed with David Brinkley for election coverage. The duo would click and become co-anchors of "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" nightly on NBC with Huntley presenting news from the New York studio while Brinkley reported from Washington, DC. John Chancellor, who would become the sole anchor of the "NBC Nightly News" years later, was also a part of the broadcast giving comment and analysis on the day’s top news. Huntley and Brinkley closed each news broadcast with the trademark, “Good night Chet. Good night David. And later, Tom Brokaw would say, “Good night from NBC News.”
1956 - Elvis Presley arrived at Paramount Studios for a screen test, lip-synching "Blue Suede Shoes" and performing a scene as Bill Starbuck in “The Rainmaker,” still in production. Presley was passed over for this film, and his role taken over by Burt Lancaster. Still impressed, however, Paramount and director Hal Wallis signed Elvis to a seven-year contract five days later.
1957 - Elvis Presley played two concerts before 23,000 people at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Presley performed outside the US only four times in his career - the two concerts in Toronto, one the next night in Ottawa and a later performance in Vancouver.
1957 - Cadence Records releases the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love," a song rejected by 30 labels before Cadence picked it up. It will go to #2 on the pop chart and #1 on the Country & Western chart.
1957 – In front of one of the smallest crowds in Major League history, 432 paid, the Kansas City A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates battled to a scoreless tie that was called after 18 innings. It was a spring training game.
1957 - Frankie Lymon becomes the youngest act to ever headline London's Palladium when he performs there with the Teenagers.
1959 – Freddy Cannon released “Tallahassee Lassie.” With lyrics written by his mother, he prepared a new song which he called "Rock and Roll Baby", and produced a demo which his manager took to the writing and production team of Bob Crewe and Frank. They rearranged the song and rewrote the lyrics, and offered to produce a recording in return for two-thirds of the composing credits. The first recording of the song, now titled "Tallahassee Lassie was rejected by several record companies, but was then heard by Dick Clark who suggested that the song be re-edited and overdubbed to add excitement, by highlighting the pounding bass drum sound and adding hand claps and Freddy's cries of "whoo!", which later became one of his trademarks. The single was finally released by Clark’s Swan Records, with the company president, Bernie Binnick, suggesting Freddy's new stage name of "Freddy Cannon". In 1959, it peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first of his 22 songs to appear on the Billboard chart, and also reached No. 13 on the R&B singles chart. In the UK, it reached No. 17. "Tallahassee Lassie" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.
1960 - The Boston Patriots of the American Football League made Wall Street history by becoming the first professional sports team to issue public stock.
1960 - In Miami's Fontainbleu Hotel, Elvis Presley taped his post-Army comeback special, Frank Sinatra's “Welcome Home, Elvis,” also starring Sammy Davis Jr., Nancy Sinatra, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Elvis sings "Fame and Fortune" and "Stuck on You," as well as Sinatra's own "Witchcraft." Frank responds by singing "Love Me Tender."
1962 – The Detroit Tigers signed University of Detroit basketball star Dave DeBusschere. He pitched effectively in 1962-3 with the White Sox, appearing in 36 games with an ERA of 2.90. He went on to much more notoriety as a key member of the New York Knicks' NBA championship teams of 1970 and 1973. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
1963 - "The Doctors" premiered on NBC on the same day as ABC's long-running soap "General Hospital," providing viewers with a double dose of medical drama. The show was set at Hope Memorial Hospital and began as an anthology series that was subsequently transformed into a serial in 1964. Created by Orin Tovrov, "The Doctors" ran for 19 years. Ellen Burstyn, Anna Stuart, Nancy Pinkerton, Jonathan Hogan, Julia Duffy and Alec Baldwin are some of its famous alums.
1963 - Longest newspaper strike in US history ends. The nine major papers in New York City ceased publication for over 100 days.
1963 - Top Hits
“He’s So Fine” - The Chiffons
“South Street” - The Orlons
“Rhythm of the Rain” - The Cascades
“Still” - Bill Anderson
1963 - “General Hospital," premiered on TV: ABC's longest-running soap, revolves around the denizens of fictional Port Charles, NY. "GH" was created by Doris and Frank Hursley. John Beradino, who was with the show from the beginning until his death in May 1996, played the role of Dr. Steve Hardy, upstanding director of medicine and pillar of the community. In the '80s, story lines became unusual with plots involving international espionage, mob activity and aliens. The wedding of super couple Luke and Laura (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis) was a ratings topper. By the '90s, stories moved away from high-powered action to more conventional romance. Many actors received their big break on the show, including Demi Moore, Janine Turner, Jack Wagner, Richard Dean Anderson, Rick Springfield, John Stamos, Emma Samms, Mark Hamill, Finola Hughes, Ricky Martin and Tia Carrere.
1967 - The US Department of Transportation began operations.
1969 - The Beach Boys left the Capitol label, suing them for over $2 million in back royalties and announced their intention to start their own label, Brother.
1970 - President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General’s warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, starting on January 1, 1971.
1970 - BEIKIRCH, GARY B., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 1 April 1970. Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Born: 29 August 1947, Rochester, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Beikirch, medical aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang. The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sgt. Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station. When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sgt. Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sgt. Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sgt. Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life. Sgt. Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sgt. Beikirch's complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
1970 - LEMON, PETER C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Tay Ninh province, Republic of Vietnam, 1 April 1970. Entered service at: Tawas City, Mich. Born: 5 June 1950, Toronto, Canada. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Lemon (then Sp4c.), Company E, distinguished himself while serving as an assistant machine gunner during the defense of Fire Support Base Illingworth. When the base came under heavy enemy attack, Sgt. Lemon engaged a numerically superior enemy with machine gun and rifle fire from his defensive position until both weapons malfunctioned. He then used hand grenades to fend off the intensified enemy attack launched in his direction. After eliminating all but 1 of the enemy soldiers in the immediate vicinity, he pursued and disposed of the remaining soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Despite fragment wounds from an exploding grenade, Sgt. Lemon regained his position, carried a more seriously wounded comrade to an aid station, and, as he returned, was wounded a second time by enemy fire. Disregarding his personal injuries, he moved to his position through a hail of small arms and grenade fire. Sgt. Lemon immediately realized that the defensive sector was in danger of being overrun by the enemy and unhesitatingly assaulted the enemy soldiers by throwing hand grenades and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. He was wounded yet a third time, but his determined efforts successfully drove the enemy from the position. Securing an operable machine gun, Sgt. Lemon stood atop an embankment fully exposed to enemy fire, and placed effective fire upon the enemy until he collapsed from his multiple wounds and exhaustion. After regaining consciousness at the aid station, he refused medical evacuation until his more seriously wounded comrades had been evacuated. Sgt. Lemon's gallantry and extraordinary heroism, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
1970 - After one year as an American League expansion team, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. Automobile dealer Bud Selig purchased the team for $10.8 million.
1970 - Ringo Starr entered Abbey Road alone for what would be the very last Beatles session, overdubbing percussion on "The Long and Winding Road," "Across The Universe," and "I Me Mine." Producer Phil Spector applied strings to all three. John Lennon and Yoko Ono played an April Fool's joke on an already confused press by announcing that they would undergo mutual sex-change operations.
1971 - Top Hits
“Me and Bobby McGee” - Janis Joplin
“Just My Imagination” (“Running Away with Me”) - The Temptations
“Proud Mary” - Ike & Tina Turner
“After the Fire is Gone” - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
1971 - Six months after his death, Jimi Hendrix's "The Cry of Love" goes gold. It is the last LP on which the guitarist was a willing participant and some say it might have gone higher than #3 had it not been for an LP by another deceased rock star, "Pearl," by Janis Joplin.
1972 - The Major League Baseball Players Association went on strike for the first time, with the principal issue being contributions to the major league pension plan. The strike lasted 12 days and wiped out 86 regular season games.
1976 - Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" is released.
1976 – Apple Computer, now Apple Inc., was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit. The kits were computers single handedly designed and hand-built by Wozniak and first shown to the public at the Homebrew Computer Club. The Apple I was sold as a motherboard (with CPU, RAM, and basic textual-video chips), which was less than what is now considered a complete personal computer. The Apple I went on sale in July, 1976 and was market-priced at $666.66 ($2,772 in 2016 dollars, adjusted for inflation). Apple is now the world’s largest information technology company by revenue ($233.7B), the world's largest technology company by total assets ($290.5B), and the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer. On November 25, 2014, in addition to being the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at over $700B. The company employs 115,000 permanent full-time employees as of July, 2015 and maintains 453 retail stores in sixteen countries as of March, 2015; it operates the online Apple Store and iTunes Store, the latter of which is the world's largest music retailer.
1976 – Conrail assumed the operations and control of seven bankrupt northeastern railroads: Penn Central Transportation Company, Erie Lackawanna Railway, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Reading Company, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh and Hudson River Railway and Ann Arbor Railroad. Conrail began to turn a profit in the 1980s and was turned over to private investors in 1987. The two remaining Class I railroads in the northeast, CSX and the Norfolk Southern Railway, agreed in 1997 to split the system approximately equally, returning rail freight competition to the Northeast by essentially undoing the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads that created Penn Central.
1979 - Top Hits
“Tragedy” - Bee Gees
“What a Fool Believes” - The Doobie Brothers
“Sultans of Swing” - Dire Straits
“I Just Fall in Love Again” - Anne Murray
1979 – Iran became an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah. Political unrest had transformed into a revolution which, on January 17, forced him to leave Iran. Soon thereafter, the Iranian monarchy was formally abolished, and Iran was declared an Islamic republic led by Ruhollah Khomeini. Facing likely execution should he return to Iran, the Shah died in exile in Egypt, whose President, Anwar Sadat, had granted him asylum. Due to his status as the last de facto Shah of Iran, he is often known as simply "the Shah". His eldest son, Reza, currently heads National Council of Iran, a government in exile.
1985 - In one of the greatest upsets in NCAA basketball tournament history, the Villanova University Wildcats upset the Hoyas of Georgetown University, 66-64, in the championship game. The Wildcats made 70% of their shots from the field and converted 22 of 27 free throws.
1985 - David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys', "California Girls", which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals. Roth's record actually sold slightly better than the original. He was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year.
1985 - The long-awaited album, "We Are the World", was finally released. Eight rock stars donated previously unreleased material for the LP. Three-million copies of the award-winning single of the same name had already been sold. The song, "We Are the World", was number five, and moving up, on the "Billboard" magazine pop singles chart.
1985 – In what is highly regarded as one of sports’ best April Fool’s Day hoaxes, today's issue of “Sports Illustrated” contained a fictitious article about a New York Mets pitching phenom named Sidd Finch, whose fastball had been timed at 168 miles per hour. Author George Plimpton offered bogus quotes from real-life members of the Mets, as well as several staged photos, fooling readers nationwide.
1986 - In Washington State 35,000 employees in female dominated jobs began receiving $41 million in pay equity payments.
1987 - 45 cities in the southeastern US reported new record low temperatures for the date. Morning lows of 37 degrees at Apalachicola, Florida, 34 degrees at Jacksonville, Florida, 30 degrees at Macon, Georgia, and 22 degrees at Knoxville, Tennessee were records for the month of April.
1987 - Top Hits
“Lean on Me” - Club Nouveau
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” - Starship
“Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” - Genesis
“Small Town Girl” - Steve Wariner
1988 - A major winter storm battered the western high plains. Rye, Colorado was buried under 34 inches of snow. 19 inches was measured at Sharon Springs, Kansas and up to 17 inches fell in the Oklahoma panhandle
1990 - Los Angeles Lakers Michael Cooper and Byron Scott appeared on an LA radio show and were informed during the broadcast that they had been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Benoit Benjamin and Jeff Martin. Lakes teammate Mychal Thompson called the show to say that the two wouldn’t be missed. Host Joe McConnell then reminded his guests and his listeners that it was April Fools’ Day.
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Texas, from southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana to southern Georgia, and from northern South Carolina to the Upper Ohio Valley during the day and evening. Thunderstorms spawned a tornado at Evergreen, AL, and there were more than eighty reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail north of Bastrop, LA, and produced damaging winds which injured one person west of , MS.
1992 – The battleship, USS Missouri, on which Japan surrendered to end World War II, was decommissioned. Ordered in 1940 and commissioned in June, 1944, “Mighty Mo” fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and shelled the Japanese home islands, and she fought in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. She was decommissioned in 1955 into the reserve fleet (the "Mothball Fleet"), but reactivated and modernized in 1984 and provided fire support during Operation Desert Storm in January/February 1991. In 1998, she was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
1993 - Thousands of people stood in the rain at a pro-environment rally in Portland, Oregon. Neil Young, David Crosby, Kenny Loggins and the Wilson sisters were among the performers.
1994 - Top Hits
“The Sign” - Ace of Base
“Bump N Grind” - R. Kelly
“Without You/Never Forget You” - Mariah Carey
“The Power of Love” - Celine Dion
1996 - Rallying from a 6-0 deficit, the Mets beat the Cardinals, 7-6, making it the biggest Opening Day comeback of the century.
1996 - Longtime umpire John McSherry collapsed and died from a heart attack on Opening Day in Cincinnati, in the 1st inning of a game between the Reds and Expos, which was cancelled. The 51-year-old McSherry had umpired in the NL for 26 seasons. Reds owner Marge Schott hit a low point with her insensitive remarks, blaming the plate umpire for spoiling the team's opening day celebrations.
1997 - Setting a record for the most runs scored in one inning of an Opening Day contest this century, the Padres score 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-5 rout of Mets. Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson and Quilvio Veras lead the attack with back-to-back-to-back home runs.
1999 - Top Hits
“Believe” - Cher
“Heartbreak Hotel” - Whitney Houston Feat. Faith Evans
“Every Morning” - Sugar Ray
“What’s It Gonna Be?” - Busta Rhymes Featuring Jane
2001 - In the first Major League game ever played Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1 in the season opener. Making his Texas debut, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez gets the season's first hit and scores the first run, but also makes a throwing error on his first chance.
2001 - A United States Navy surveillance aircraft collided with a Chinese fighter jet. The Navy crew made an emergency landing in Hainan, China and was detained.
2002 - Maryland won the NCAA Men’s basketball title for the first – and only – time with a 64-52 win over Indiana. http://sportsillustrated.cn
2003 - Top Hits
“In Da Club” - 50 Cent
“Ignition” - R. Kelly
“Miss You” - Aaliyah
“All I Have” - Jennifer Lopez Featuring LL Cool J
2011 - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 32,788 traffic deaths; the lowest number of deaths since 1949.
2015 - California Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25% cut in water usage, the first required water restriction in the state's history, as severe drought continued; earlier calls for a voluntary 20% reduction were not met.